Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:37 Since the new mobilization law came into force in May of this year, Ukraine has mobilized about 30,000 people into the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is 2-3 times more than in the last winter months, and about the same number as Russia recruits monthly, The New York Times writes. A large number of new recruits will arrive at the front in the coming weeks, but some of them are poorly trained or out of shape, the publication notes.
21:48 Ukraine has begun to receive some information about prisoners from the Russian Federation, Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets reported: "We have finally begun to receive some information from the Russian side regarding prisoners. During the last exchange, we exchanged leaflets. Together with the Russian counter-intelligence, we simultaneously conducted a survey of prisoners of war - those whom Ukraine returned."
20:32 As a result of the attack on the Olenya military airfield in the Murmansk region of the Russian Federation, two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were damaged, said Andrey Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate: "We can confirm the fact that two Tu-22M3 aircraft were hit. We are talking about aircraft No. 33 and aircraft No. 31. More time is needed to talk about the exact severity of the damage. But we can say in advance that aircraft No. 33 has holes in the upper part of the fuselage, and aircraft No. 31 also has some damage to the hull."
20:04 Zelensky reported that after Volyn region he visited Rivne region. One of the topics of today's visits is energy: "At the level of the entire state, we are working to protect energy facilities - all deadlines for specific facilities, which are now being announced at meetings, must be met. This will also be a criterion for some personnel issues." According to the president, most regions have significant potential for creating new generation.
19:26 Kerch and its suburbs are without power after fires at four power substations, Russian publics write. About 53 thousand people are left without power. The fire engulfed power facilities in the area of ​​the 450th quarter, Mount Mithridates and the villages of Osoviny and Bondarenkovo. There is also no water in the city in the eastern part of Crimea. One of the possible causes of the fires is sabotage.
18:57 The General Staff reported the defeat of the oil depot Logistics Center No. 43 in the settlement of Vozy in the Kursk region. According to intelligence, the attack caused a fire at the facility, more detailed information is being clarified.
18:13 The Foreign Ministry has sent an invitation to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Ukraine, the ministry's spokesman Georgy Tykhyi said. According to him, Kiev has also invited Beijing to participate in at least the interim meetings for the Second Peace Summit, which will take place soon. "We can say that they have taken this proposal seriously. But I will stop here for now and will not announce it further, we will see how the situation develops," the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.
17:37 Drones attempted to attack the Mozdok military airfield in North Ossetia. Local authorities claim there was no damage or casualties.
16:54 The United States will arm F-16 fighters supplied to Ukraine with American missiles and bombs, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing sources. According to them, this concerns AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, air-to-air missiles, high-precision bomb guidance kits, and small-diameter bombs. These weapons can be used on Russian territory "in response to attacks from abroad."
The newspaper also reports that the United States is exploring the possibility of expanding training for Ukrainian pilots, either at an air base in Arizona where training is already taking place, or at another facility in the country.
16:18 Ukraine is ready, if necessary, to participate in consultations with the EU on the situation surrounding the transit of oil from Russian Lukoil, if Brussels decides to use the appropriate mechanism, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tikhy.
16:03 Sabotage and arson of Ukrainian military vehicles in the rear is the work of the Russian GRU, said Andrey Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council: "The main logic of the Russian Federation's actions now is that they cannot win at the front, so they are trying to create tension in the rear." He explained that the Russian GRU recruits Ukrainians in the rear for arson and other sabotage, offering money. Russian special services carry out similar tasks in the EU. "There they are trying to increase the number of sabotage acts and create an image of Ukrainians as terrorists for residents of EU countries. In this way, the Russians want to achieve a decrease in the West's desire to help Ukraine," Kovalenko noted.
15:40 Ukraine has increased the number of border guards in the regions bordering Russia and Belarus, Zelensky said during a trip to Volyn: "On our side, there is strong protection both in personnel and in the lines of defense. In all regions bordering Russia and Belarus, the number of border guards has also been increased. And we continue to strengthen this."
15:19 The Cabinet of Ministers approved the regulations on the Army+ application. It is assumed that the Ukrainian military will have access to such functions as receiving information from state electronic resources, submitting applications, electronic reports and other requests, generating and displaying information contained in military documents, posting multimedia content, conducting surveys and tests, etc.
14:04 Navy spokesman Dmitry Pletenchuk does not rule out that Russia may be preparing for another massive attack on Ukraine. According to him, all three submarine missile carriers are currently at sea and can have up to 12 missiles on board. In parallel, aircraft are being equipped with cruise missiles.
13:52 Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that during yesterday's trip with Zelensky to the regions, two "critically important" agreements were signed for the Armed Forces of Ukraine with enterprises of the domestic defense industry complex worth almost UAH 5 billion.
13:25 Zelensky said that he was on a visit to the Volyn region, checked the progress of fortification construction and held a meeting on the security of the northern regions of Ukraine. "The main focus is on protecting our state border in the regions bordering Russia and Belarus. We continue to strengthen the Ukrainian border," the president noted.
13:11 The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrey Kovalenko, denied information from Telegram channels that Russians allegedly entered Toretsk in the Donetsk region: "As of 12:00 this day, the information about Russians entering Toretsk is not true."
12:48 Russian troops have begun using the North Korean long-range self-propelled anti-tank missile system Bulsae-4 in Ukraine, writes the specialized publication Militarnye. The system was discovered by Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance in one of the directions, when it was in an open area. Bulsae-4 can hit targets beyond the line of sight at a distance of more than 10 km. There is practically no precise data on the properties of the North Korean weapon, but some sources estimate the range of this system to be within 10-25 km.
12:17 A security guard at a hospital in Kyiv's Desnyansky district who failed to open the door to a shelter during an air raid alarm on the night of June 1, 2023, has been sentenced to four years in prison, the Prosecutor General's Office reported. Three people died at the time, including a nine-year-old child, due to the inability to get into the shelter.
11:26 Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that Kiev, together with the IMF, estimates the additional financial need for 2025 from partners at $12-15 billion, since the war will continue: "We are now constantly discussing with our partners that we need additional financial assurance, because the war will continue in 2025, and we need to have a buffer."
10:50 Finnish President Alexander Stubb believes that "we are approaching the moment when negotiations must begin" between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine's main condition - the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territories - "cannot be put forward as a precondition for possible negotiations," Stubb said. At the same time, he stressed that "the beginning of negotiations does not mean that you will make concessions."
"Ukraine needs security guarantees. And that's where we can help through bilateral agreements and a possible path to NATO and, of course, the European Union." Stubb also believes that Ukraine is now in a better position for negotiations than two months ago: "They have the necessary equipment and budgets to maintain their positions. We are no longer in the situation we were in in the spring, when American aid was blocked, and Europe had difficulties in delivering equipment to Kyiv. There is no Russian breakthrough either."
10:38 Over the past 24 hours, seven reconnaissance UAVs were destroyed by air defense in the south and east of Ukraine: four Zala, two Orlan-10 and a Supercam, the Air Force reported.
09:59 The Ukrainian Prime Minister's energy adviser Yuriy Boyko said that Ukraine could go through the next three months without any power outages or with minimal restrictions. At the same time, he added that this would be on condition that there are no new Russian attacks.
09:02 Drones attacked an oil depot in the Kursk region at night, three fuel tanks caught fire, said Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov. According to him, the fire has already been extinguished, there are no casualties.
08:53 In the morning, Russian troops shelled Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, one person was wounded, reported the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
08:44 In the morning, Russians fired artillery at Chornobaivka in the Kherson region, wounding one person, OVA reported. Over the previous day, eight people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling in the region. Critical infrastructure facilities and port infrastructure, a multi-story building and 24 private houses, and gas pipelines were damaged.
08:26 Four people were killed in Donetsk Oblast as a result of Russian shelling on July 29: three in Toretsk and one in Grodovets. Another five people in the region were injured in the past 24 hours, said OVA head Vadim Filashkin.
07:51 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of July 30:
- personnel - about 577,060 (+1060) people,
- tanks - 8381 (+25),
- combat armored vehicles - 16,141 (+38),
- artillery systems - 16,056 (+46),
- MLRS - 1130 (+1),
- air defense systems - 906 (+0),
- aircraft - 363 (+0),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- Operational-tactical level UAVs - 12,832 (+27),
- cruise missiles - 2406 (+0),
- ships/boats - 28 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 21,687 (+53),
- special equipment - 2696 (+6).
06:48 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports, citing geolocation footage, that Russian troops have achieved significant tactical successes in the Avdiivka area, advanced southwest of Donetsk, and completely captured the aggregate plant in Vovchansk. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState reports that the enemy has advanced near Spornoye, Razdolovka, Timofeevka, Progress, Konstantinovka, in Pivnichne and Zhelezne in the Donetsk region.
At the same time, ISW suggests that the Russian command may withdraw some Wagner troops from the Kharkiv region after the rebels in Mali dealt them a serious defeat. Experts recalled that elements of the African Corps were recently deployed to Ukraine to assist Russian offensive efforts in the north of the Kharkiv region. Now the African Corps probably lacks the current capabilities to properly replace Wagner operations, particularly in Mali.